AJANews Editorial Brief August 2024

By, Dennis Owuoche, AJAN Communications Officer.

The third Apostolic Preference of the Jesuits calls us to “accompany young people in the creation of a hope-filled future.In this August 2024 edition of the AJANews Newsletter, we highlight the voices, actions, and initiatives of our youth. “ As we do so, we are reminded of the challenges young people face and their immense potential for positive change. Their resilience, potential, and dreams of a better future makes them an important piece of the puzzle needed in the search for solutions to the challenges communities are facing. 

The young people are powerful agents for change, with their population projected to grow to 42 percent globally and the figure doubling by 2055.The international Youth Day (IYD) celebrated on 12th August 2024 under the theme “From Clicks to Progress: Youth Digital Pathways for Sustainable Development,” reiterated that this is an opportunity for us all to see how we can empower the youth to harness the power of digital innovation to drive sustainable progress and create meaningful change. 

The 2024 IYD theme challenges the young people to tap into their creative prowess and digital knowledge to craft solutions that will address issues on renewable energy technologies, resource mobilization to sustainable agriculture, from healthcare to education, and environmental conservation utilizing technology as a catalyst for positive social change, empowering them to be self-sustainable and self-sufficient.

In this rapidly shifting landscape as AJAN empowers the young people in Africa to take the initiative and leadership roles, we can journey with them to see God in everything and help them live their lives more meaningfully. Through discernment, parents, teachers and those accompanying the young people become fundamental formators in helping young people interact responsibly with the digital world. The young people are able to know how to harness the advantages and mitigate pitfalls brought about by utilizing technology in order to foster good human development and positive relations between people.

This year AJAN sought to find new ways of responding to the youths’ needs more effectively. At a time when most of the young people in Africa are grappling with challenges of unemployment AJAN through the Jesuit Youth Social Entrepreneurship Action (JYSEA) program is supporting economic empowerment, which goes beyond intellectual and business skills but molding the young people to be social entrepreneurs who will use their skills to address pressing social issues. 

Given the vast opportunities and challenges they face, young people are encouraged to  cultivate both technical skills and essential human qualities such as adaptability, emotional intelligence, leadership, problem-solving, and honest communication. In a bid to foster a mindset of continuous learning, during this month of August, AJAN continued with its mission of molding young people into responsible and all-round people through the AHAPPY training of trainers for the youth leaders from the Catholic Diocese of Isiolo, Kenya. Centre Arrupe, Madagascar (CA-MDG) also continued with the broadcast of the radio show « Education à la vie et à l’Amour » (“Education for Life and Love”) on Radio Don Bosco 93.4 FM Broadcast every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. This show aims to raise awareness among the public on essential issues related to health, family and well-being.